Quarterly Progress Report: July–September 2017

The project is implemented by Abt Associates Inc. in collaboration with various partners, including the American College of Nurse-Midwives, Akros, and other organizations. The project is funded by the United States Agency for International Development (USAID). At the central level, the project has been providing technical assistance to the Zambian Ministry of Health (MOH) to strengthen its health systems. The project has submitted a draft of the Health Worker Induction Guide to the MOH for review, which aims to standardize the MOH's induction program for newly hired health workers. The project has also assisted the General Nursing Council and multiple schools of midwifery in reviewing and finalizing the midwifery skills and simulation lab manual. The project has also provided financial assistance and technical support to the MOH for planning at national, provincial, and district levels. This includes revising the planning process and integrating SBH's activities into the MOH's 2018 plans. The project has also trained over 200 MOH health care workers and senior staff in four target provinces, including Copperbelt, Lusaka, and Eastern, on the availability of essential medicines and supplies. At the provincial and district levels, the project has trained 76 health workers in Copperbelt Province and 39 in Southern Province as clinical mentors. These practitioners will form provincial and district mentorship teams and conduct mentoring in their districts and hospitals. The project has also mentored 26 health workers from different facilities in Shibuyunji district in emergency obstetric and neonatal care and long-acting reversible contraceptives. The project has also improved the quality of HIV services by providing training in facilities to ensure implementation of the 2016 MOH HIV treatment guidelines. The project has also trained adherence support workers on those guidelines. In Kitwe, the project's HIV Pilot has obtained MOH approval to use the BedTrack database to better track HIV-exposed children and adolescents and link them to care and social services. Under the project's grants program, SBH has awarded grants to ten successful non-governmental organizations and community-based organizations in three target provinces. The grantees will complement the MOH by working with communities to develop and implement annual health plans, organize effective local social and behavior change activities, and participate in facility quality improvement exercises. The project has also received a contract ceiling to provide technical support in six provinces for government-to-government grants under the Reproductive, Maternal, Newborn, Child and Adolescent Health and Nutrition Continuum of Care Program. The project has initiated the recruitment of personnel and procured computers for public financial management. The project's overall goal is to improve the quality and availability of health services in Zambia, with a focus on strengthening the health systems at central, provincial, and district levels. The project's activities are designed to support the Zambian Ministry of Health in achieving its health goals and improving the health outcomes of the Zambians.